French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-92) believed the opera Saint Francois d'Assise would be his final work, says Dingle (music, Birmingham Conservatoire, Britain), and this belief, along with the physical and mental effort to compose the opera, cast a shadow over his final works. In that context, he examines the seven pieces Messiaen composed during the nine more years that he lived--the miniatures and Éclairs sur l'Au-Delà . His topics include his final organ work Livre du Saint Sacrement , a work for Yvonne Loriod: Petites Esquisses d'oiseaux , la constellation du Sagittaire , les étioles et la Gloire, and le chemin de l'/Invisible . Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)